Bugs Barwick, Bugs Britannica

No time recently for exploring further afield (hence the paucity of blog posts from me) but the garden is always close at hand and insects are thankfully plentiful. Through the early spring I’ve made some interesting discoveries which I’ve finally managed to share.

The Velvet Mite – Trombidium sp.

A fascinating group of creatures in the arachnid family, I found this one crawling across the soil of our vegetable patch.

Hairyfooted Flower Bee

Many thanks to Val Littlewood for helping to identify this one. For those that don’t know Val is a wonderful artist who is currently based in Florida and has recently been working on bee illustrations. Her wonderful work and always enjoyable blog posts can be found on her Pencil and Leaf blog – http://pencilandleaf.blogspot.com/. Val also has an exhibition opening in London this summer. You can view her work from 1st to 26th June at the Lumen Arts Centre in London, WC1. Further details can be found at http://www.lumenurc.org.uk/Bees.htm.

Carder Bee (I think!)

Orange Ladybird

I submitted this observation to the UK Ladybird Survey, which also contains lots of information on British ladybirds and some of the recent newcomers which they are particularly interested in monitoring. You can get more information (and submit your own observations) at http://www.ladybird-survey.org/

Finally for this post, I must draw your attention to the recent publication of Bugs Britannica, the latest in a series of books on the flora and fauna of the British countryside. As with all the books it’s full of wonderful stories and information about the beetles, bugs, bees and flies that can be found in the UK and their place in local and regional folklore. A wonderful addition to any naturalists library.